1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a soft pedal effect applying apparatus, and more particularly to a soft pedal effect applying apparatus which is suitable for controlling a tone color and a tone volume of a musical tone to be generated by operating a soft pedal.
2. Prior Art
The conventional electronic musical instrument provides the so-called soft pedal as a pedal operating means. There are two kinds of pedal effect apparatuses conventionally proposed, wherein a first pedal effect apparatus (as disclosed in Japanese Utility-Model Laid-Open Publication No. 55-38333) controls an amplitude characteristic of a musical tone waveform by operating the soft pedal and a second pedal effect apparatus (as disclosed in Japanese Patent Laid-Open Publication No. 61-172192) controls and varies touch control quantity in response to the operation of the soft pedal.
In general, a grand piano as a non-electronic musical instrument provides a mechanism corresponding to the pedal effect applying apparatus by which when the pedal is depressed by a player's foot, a string hammering mechanism of the piano is slightly shifted such that the number of strings to be hammered is decreased. Due to this mechanism, it is possible to vary the tone color to be generated into the soft tone color. In the conventional upright piano, the hammers are moved closer to the strings in response to the depression of pedal so that the acceleration of hammer is decreased, whereby the pedal effect is applied to the musical tone.
The above-mentioned non-electronic musical instrument can obtain the variation of musical tone by the pedal effect applying apparatus, wherein such variation includes the variation of tone color in addition to the variation of tone volume. However, the conventional pedal effect applying apparatus of the electronic musical instrument can not obtain the musical tone applied with the pedal effect which is sufficiently similar to that of the non-electronic musical instrument.
It is accordingly a primary object of the present invention to provide a soft pedal effect applying apparatus whose pedal effect is quite similar to that of the non-electronic musical instrument such as the grand piano, upright piano and the like.
It is another object of the present invention to provide a soft pedal effect applying apparatus capable of independently controlling the tone volume and tone color of the musical tone to be generated when operating the soft pedal.
In a first aspect of the present invention, there is provided a soft pedal effect applying apparatus which includes both tone volume and tone color softening means operable in response to the operation of a soft pedal, wherein the tone volume is reduced by a predetermined amount from a value which it would have if the soft pedal were not operated, and the tone color is made softer by a predetermined degree with respect to a tone color which would be generated if the soft pedal were not operated. By independently controlling the tone volume and tone color in this respect, more realistic soft pedal effects can be achieved.
In a second aspect of the invention, a soft pedal effect is provided in which tone volume is reduced in response to application of the soft pedal and the amount of volume reduction is greater for softer tones as compared to the amount of volume reduction for relatively louder tones. In this fashion, the change in tone volume caused by operating the soft pedal is readily perceptible.
In a third aspect of the invention, a soft pedal effect is provided by changing tone color and switching from a selected filter characteristic corresponding to touch intensity to a different filter characteristic when the soft pedal is operated to provide a softer tone.